Pines Jewel Thief Convicted

SNOW HILL – An Ocean Pines woman arrested in October and
charged with several counts of burglary and felony theft for stealing thousands
of dollars worth of jewelry after getting surprised in the residence by the
victim pleaded guilty this week in Worcester County Circuit Court to
first-degree burglary and awaits her fate pending the outcome of a pre-sentence
investigation.

The Ocean Pines Police Department arrested Jodi Lynn
Schlaile, 40, of Ocean Pines, in October and charged her with first-, third-,
and fourth-degree burglary as well as felony theft over $500. Schlaile was
first confronted by the victim inside the victim’s north Ocean Pines home
before making off with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.

The victim contacted the Ocean Pines Police Department and
Schlaile was apprehended a short time later by uniformed officers and a
criminal investigator. Last week in Circuit Court, she pleaded guilty to
first-degree burglary, a conviction that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years,
and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered

Details Emerge In
House Fire Caused By
Motorist

OCEAN CITY – It was last Wednesday night when local man
Jay Mikell Benedict was arrested after witnesses identified him as the
individual who drove his truck into a house, setting it ablaze after rupturing
a gas line, after coming across the Route 50 bridge.

According to police records, it was approximately 10 p.m.
when OCPD Officer Christopher Snyder was dispatched to the area of Caroline
Street and Philadelphia Avenue in regards to a house fire.

By the time he had arrived, flames had already engulfed
the entire home and its owners, Richard and Marian Manning, had already escaped
without any injuries.

According to the Mannings, Benedict never came forward to
them as the one who had struck their house and that they were watching
television when they heard the collision and then a boom similar to that of a
bomb going off.

A handful of witnesses soon approached officers on the
scene and told them that a gray truck was the cause of the accident and one had
even written down the plate number before Benedict was able to drive off.
According to them, the truck was speeding eastbound over the Route 50 Bridge.
It then continued to go east, ultimately hitting the Mannings’ house, instead
of turning south onto Philadelphia Avenue, witnesses reported.

Witnesses then stated they saw the driver of the truck
exit the vehicle to survey the damage. When he saw the damage, some of the
witnesses reported Benedict as saying, “Aww [expletive deleted],” before
getting back into his truck and driving off.

According to police reports, tire tracks leading from the
Route 50 Bridge, over the sidewalk and into the southwestern part of the house
coincided with witnesses’ statements. Officers also noticed there was damage to
both of the Mannings’ vehicles, which were parked alongside the house as well.

A registration check of the truck’s tag revealed the owner
to be Benedict, 36, of Ocean City. Officers were soon at his residence where
his truck, which had extensive damage to the front driver’s side, was found in
the driveway and positively identified by three of the witnesses. Benedict
wasn’t home but another witness said Benedict had left earlier and was walking
toward Philadelphia Avenue near 8th Street.

According to police records, officers then headed to the
location where they entered Pickles Pub and found a man matching the
description of that given by the witnesses. When asked for his license,
Benedict said he had lost it. However, the three witnesses officers brought
with them were able to positively identify Benedict as the driver of the
vehicle that collided with the Manning house.

Benedict was then placed under arrest and further
investigation found that Benedict’s license had been revoked.

Hit-and-Run
Offender Pleads Guilty In
Court

OCEAN CITY – A Salisbury man suspected of fleeing a hit
and run last summer, only to be found months later, was in District Court
Monday to plead guilty to his crime.

Back on June 18, OCPD officers received a call about a
pedestrian that had been hit by a motorist near 1st Street and Philadelphia
Avenue. According to witnesses, it was a silver Ford Ranger that had struck the
victim and then fled west across the Route 50 Bridge.

The victim had to be flown to Peninsula Regional Medical
Center and officers were unsuccessful in locating the offender until about four
months later on Sept. 30

According to police records, around 2 a.m. that day, OCPD
Corporal Brian Mongelli observed a silver 1994 Ford Ranger traveling southbound
on Coastal Highway near 12th Street. The vehicle caught Mongelli’s attention,
as he noted the truck matched the description of a suspect vehicle involved in
a hit-and-run collision back in June. The corporal stopped the vehicle and spoke
with the driver, later identified as Harold Richard Greenhalgh, 53. OCPD Pfc.
Doug Smith responded to assist Mongelli and noticed the truck still had visible
damage consistent with the summer accident.

Based on the evidence, the officers seized Greenhalgh’s
vehicle and told him to exit the truck because it was being towed. As the man
responded, Mongelli noted a strong odor of burning marijuana emanating from the
vehicle. He then located a corncob pipe with marijuana residue inside the truck
and a baggie of marijuana on Greenhalgh’s person. He was then placed under
arrest for possession of marijuana.

Back in court Monday, Greenhalgh said he panicked that
night when he fled the scene and Judge Daniel R. Mumford sentenced him to 10
days in jail along with a $100 fine.

Summer Dispute Charges Finally
Faced

OCEAN CITY – After failing to appear at his initial
appearance in District Court to face assault and disorderly charges stemming
from an incident back in June, Jacob Carbon Eastep, 18, of Bowie, Md., was finally
present on Monday to plead guilty to one of the charges.

According to police records, it was back on June 11 at
approximately 11:20 p.m. when OCPD Officer Raymond Land was on mounted patrol
near the beach at 15th Street when he received a call about a fight taking
place near the Quality Inn parking lot on 16th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

Upon arrival, Land said he saw a tall male, later
identified as Eastep, standing over another male who was obviously injured,
screaming expletives at him. Land said he also observed approximately 20 other
individuals on the balconies of adjacent motels yelling down at Eastep.

After seeing Land approaching, Eastep then fled south on
Baltimore Avenue with his friends. One witness confirmed that Eastep was in
fact the person who assaulted the victim on the ground, who Land saw to have a
broken nose and severe bruising on his face.

A street over, Land was able to catch up with Eastep, who
he believed to be highly intoxicated. Two witnesses of the fight were able to
positively identify him as the assailant. He was then placed under arrest and
charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.

OCEAN CITY – An Eden, Md., boy arrested in January for
driving with a suspended license felt the sting of his mistake Monday when
Judge Daniel R. Mumford fined him twice for two charges brought against him.

Bradley Vernon Savage, 19, told officers as he was being
arrested that there was a BB gun under the front seat of his vehicle. According
to police records, the BB gun looked like a real handgun but was not loaded. It
was at that point officers charged him with possession of a gun replica.

In court, Savage said he was at a party with friends
earlier that night where an argument broke out. According to Savage, one of the
party goers started waving the BB gun in a threatening manner. Seeing the
situation becoming hostile, Savage tackled the gun wielder and took the
handgun, hiding it in his car. It was then that he and his friends decided to
leave, however, seeing as his friends were too intoxicated to drive, he drove
instead.

According to police records, it was 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 29
when OCPD Officer Charles Kelley noticed a tan vehicle heading south on
Philadelphia Avenue swerve into a nearby lane, almost striking one vehicle, and
then swerve into another, cutting off a taxi.

Kelley then performed a routine traffic stop where Savage
admitted he had a suspended license and was arrested. It was then he told
Kelley about the BB gun.

Besides the $500 fine for driving with a suspended
license, Mumford fined Savage $100 for the possession of a gun replica charge
as well

Sprinklers Save Apartment Complex

BERLIN – A sprinkler system is being credited with saving
a Berlin apartment complex this week.

Shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Monday, the Berlin Volunteer
Fire Company responded to a reported fire at the Decatur Apartments on Old
Ocean City Boulevard. The fire was reported by a neighbor who noticed visible
flames coming from an adjacent unit. First-arriving firefighters heard the
sound of a sprinkler bell sounding and reported light smoke coming from
Apartment 1102.

Further investigation revealed the fire originated on the
stovetop and extended to the hood and cabinets above the cooking surface and
had been contained by the building’s automatic sprinkler system. One sprinkler
head in the kitchen area activated and controlled the fire until firefighters
arrived.

The structure was occupied at the time of the fire but all
of the occupants escaped prior to the arrival of firefighters and no injuries
were reported. Firefighters assisted with smoke removal and remained on the
scene for about an hour. The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office in
investigating the incident and has listed the cause of the fire as unattended
cooking

Second Case In
StabbingOver Noise Cleared

SNOW HILL – An Ocean City man arrested last fall for stabbing another man
during a fight over noise at a downtown apartment building was cleared of all
charges last week in Worcester County Circuit Court, which closes the books on
the bizarre case.

Ambrose Rawls, 27, of Ocean City, was in Circuit Court
last week facing first degree, second-degree and reckless endangerment charges
stemming from a fight with another Ocean City man, Vernon Knox,
Jr., after a fight over noise last fall that left both men with stab
wounds. The charges against Knox were “nolle prossed,” or not prosecuted, last
month and the same outcome for Rawls happened this Monday.

Last November, Ocean City Police responded to the Kitchen
Apartments on Wicomico Street for a reported fight in progress involving
knives. Upon arrival, the officers located Knox, who had been stabbed several
times about the face and neck. The officers determined the man who attacked
Knox was Rawls, who also received a stab wound in the arm
during the altercation.
Both men lived at the apartment building and the incident started over a
complaint about noise. Knox was taken to PRMC and later Shock Trauma in
Baltimore for treatment of his injuries. Rawls was
treated at the scene but refused transfer to the hospital.

Power Saw Thief Gets Six Months

OCEAN CITY – A Bel Air man caught stealing a chain saw from a downtown store
last fall after being seen on surveillance cameras was found guilty last week
of fourth-degree burglary and theft under $500 and will serve six months behind
bars.

Craig Steven Tillman,
37, of Bel Air, was arrested last November for second- and fourth-degree
burglary, theft under $500, theft over $500 and trespassing after his
suspicious actions led to the recovery of stolen items.
On Oct. 24, at approximately 6 p.m., OCPD Officer Sara Dorsey responded to a
local business on Dorchester Street in reference to a theft, which occurred.
When the officer arrived she met with a store employee who said a man, later
identified as Tillman, entered the establishment
attempting to cash a check.

After the man left, the employee noticed an orange power
saw, which he had rented, was missing from the area. According to court
documents, the saw was inside an adjoining building that could only be accessed
from the inside by opening a closed door marked with a sign reading, “Employees
Only.”
The officer contacted the business owner and they reviewed several of the
store’s 16 surveillance cameras on-site. The footage revealed that Tillman went in and out of the establishment, then returned a
second time with the stolen saw in tow, according to reports. Assisting
officers spotted Tillman driving on Coastal Highway and
they initiated a traffic stop.

After speaking with Tillman about
the reported crime, officers located the stolen saw inside his vehicle. He was
then placed under arrest for burglary and theft charges. Last week in Circuit
Court, Tillman was found guilty of fourth-degree burglary and was sentenced to
18 months in jail, all of which was suspended. He was also found guilty of
theft and sentenced to 18 months in jail, all of which but six months was
suspended.

Pair Sentenced In Trailer Break-in

OCEAN CITY – Two local men who broke a construction
trailer window in Ocean City last September were each found guilty of malicious
destruction of property in separate trials this week in Worcester County
Circuit Court and received identical sentences- two months in jail with one
month suspended, which will be served on weekends beginning this evening.

Ocean City Police officers last September arrested and
charged Daniel Cornell Schilling, 18, of Delmar, and James Brandon Hurley, 19,
of Salisbury, with second- and fourth-degree burglary and malicious destruction
of property after catching the pair breaking into a construction trailer in the
resort. Schilling was also charged with possession of marijuana after a small
amount of the drug was found on his person.

On Sept. 17, around 4 a.m. OCPD Pfc. James Rodriguez was
on patrol in the area of 6000 Coastal Highway when he heard the sound of
breaking glass, and two men walked from the area. As the officer took a closer
look, he observed that two windows on a construction site trailer were
shattered.
Rodriguez and an assisting officer approached the men, later identified as
Hurley and Schilling, at a nearby convenience store. Both
men had cuts on their hands and were bleeding. Rodriguez responded to the
trailer and noticed the doors were unlocked, traces of blood were inside and
construction equipment was lying on the ground. After speaking with Hurley and Schilling it was determined that both men broke into the
trailer and attempted to steal the equipment inside, according to police.

Car Thief Joy Rider
Convicted

SNOW HILL – A Pennsylvania man who last fall broke into a
downtown apartment and trashed the place before taking a set of keys and
stealing a vehicle pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary this week in
Worcester County Circuit Court and could serve as many as 20 years in jail
pending the outcome of a pre-sentence investigation which will include a
psychological evaluation.

Christopher Enright, 26, of Toby Farms, Pa., was in Circuit
Court this week facing a myriad of charges stemming from an incident last
October when he broke into a resort apartment and took keys to a vehicle before
taking it on a joy ride and ultimately being apprehended by police.

On Oct. 9, around 4:30 a.m., OCPD Officer Frank Soscia
stopped a Mitsubishi Eclipse because the driver, Enright,
was acting suspiciously and the vehicle’s headlights were off. The officer
initiated a traffic stop and made contact with Enright,
who was found to be wanted on active, extraditable probation violation warrants
from Pennsylvania. Soscia arrested him on the active warrants and began
questioning him about the vehicle.

According to court documents, Enright
told the officer several different stories and appeared to be lying about who
the car actually belonged to. The officer then contacted the vehicle’s owner
and determined that the car had been reported stolen.

Through the investigation, Soscia learned Enright
was involved in a house burglary earlier in the night where the keys had been
lifted. Assisting officers responded to the residence, which appeared to be
turned upside down, according to police testimony. Several clues at the scene
led police back to Enright and he was arrested on a
handful of charges including first-degree burglary, which he pleaded guilty to
this week

Warrant Leads To
Crack Bust

BERLIN – A local man arrested this week by Berlin Police
on an outstanding burglary and assault warrant in Worcester County found
himself in deeper trouble when he was found in possession of nearly 10 grams of
crack cocaine.

Around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, Berlin Police arrested
Dionderik Ronshe Godwin on an outstanding warrant for burglary and assault. A
search of Godwin subsequent to the arrest revealed 9.9 grams of suspected crack
cocaine in his pants pocket and additional charges of possession and possession
with intent to distribute crack cocaine were tacked onto the original charges.

Godwin
was transported to the County Court Commissioners and later held at the county
jail on a $60,000 bond.

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